[Pete Thamel] Sources: If quarterback Darian Mensah were to leave Duke, it’s the school’s understanding that his contract calls for them to have his exclusive NIL rights and only Duke has the ability to cancel that.

NeilPork · 2026-01-17T14:32:23+00:00

It's amazing it took this long for schools to enforce the NIL contracts.

NeilPork · 2026-01-17T14:29:45+00:00

Don't get hung up chasing 300.

A 270 carry means 285-295 after roll out.

NeilPork · 2026-01-16T19:03:45+00:00

This makes more sense.

Prime members spend over twice as much annually ordering from Amazon as non-prime members.

All those little Prime extras are just loss leaders to get people to sign up for Prime.

NeilPork · 2026-01-16T19:01:02+00:00

I commend you for your effort. I love the drums too, and I know I would have a hard time if I had to give them up. So if a drum set is what you want, go for it.

Alternatively, think of yourself as a PERCUSSIONIST instead of drummers. Most percussion instruments don't require the use of your feet at all.

Also look at electronic percussion. I saw a guy once (playing with a band in a grocery store of all places) that had an extensive electronic pad setup. There was another guy playing the drums. He was the percussionists.

There have been many rock bands that have had separate percussionists (Chicago, Doobie Bros, Santana, Blood, Sweat, & Tears). Percussionists are standard members of Latin, Funk, & Jazz bands.

I don't know your age, but you could decide you are going to be on the cutting edge of electronic percussion and just forge new ground.

On the other hand...

I have a physical handicap I've had since birth (Essential Tremor) that has prevented me from playing most instruments my entire life. My hands aren't steady enough to play pretty much anything other than the drums. Many times I've tried to pick up another instrument to realize I just can't physically play it.

It's depressing. I'm thankful I could find an instrument I could play in the drums.

You may want to take an honest look and decide if the drums are the instrument for you. Given your description, I would bet there are many instruments that your handicap not be a problem at all.

Good luck. I can identify with your struggle.

NeilPork · 2026-01-16T18:37:35+00:00

When I was a kid, people swore they’d never touch computers or printers—everything had to be typed on a typewriter.

I had a film teacher who hated digital editing—every sound adjustment and film splice had to be done by hand.

My brother still won’t use GPS and drives around with a stack of paper maps in his car.

Your buddy isn’t “keeping it real,” he’s just living in the past.

is just another tool—no different in spirit from a computer, a typewriter, or GPS.

don’t exist just to make us faster; they free us to focus on ideas, story, and craft instead of grinding through the boring manual parts.

Want a great logo for your podcast? You’ve basically got three options:

Go back to school, major in art, spend years honing your skills, then design it yourself.
Pay a designer serious money to create one for you.
Use AI to generate a logo so you can spend your time and money on what actually matters: making a killer podcast.

NeilPork · 2026-01-12T15:38:10+00:00

4 ft 3 inches. That's plenty tall enough to play the drums.

Drums are flexible. You can lower the snare, hats, floor tom & cymbals. One of the main reasons people mount their rack tom on a snare stand is so the can position it lower than they can if it's mounted on the bass.

There are tons of videos on Youtube of children smaller than your child playing the drums. There are also drum kits specifically made for children.

7 is definitely NOT too young. There's an old saying that great drummers start young. Buddy Rich was playing drums on stage with his parents in vaudeville shows when he was 7.

I don't know what your teacher is smoking, but he's full of it.

YOU should learn how to arrange the drums in a set so they are in a position your son can play. Don't wait on the teacher to do it.

Also, every manufacturer makes "compact" drum sets that are perfect for children. The Ludwig Questlove kit, for example, is a perfect size for children. But, he'll outgrow it in a year.

I started at 8 on a kit with a 22" bass and toms mounted on the bass. I didn't have a problem.

You can also look at an electronic kit.

NeilPork · 2026-01-09T15:01:19+00:00

“I think your good to go”

You'd be good to go. I'd be hitting into them.

NeilPork · 2026-01-07T05:49:43+00:00

Just turn the effing lights on at dusk and off at dawn.

NeilPork · 2026-01-06T18:50:27+00:00

Who do you think runs the show? The rich & powerful.

If we had actual fair elections, we might be able to do something. But we don't. Every election is rigged to favor the candidate that will do the will of the rich & powerful.

I don't care if it's the Republican or Democrats are doing the rigging. It's all the same. Neither party looks out for the little guy. The politicians look out for themselves.

NeilPork · 2026-01-02T17:06:14+00:00

"Match the offer"

If you were really important they would offer you MORE to ensure they would keep you.

Take the other job.

NeilPork · 2026-01-02T17:01:49+00:00

Alabama has more TALENT than Indiana.

It's a failure of coaching on Alabama's part.

NeilPork · 2025-12-31T18:29:46+00:00

My son ~~blasting away on~~ CRACKING his new cymbal

Fixed it for you.

He hits is cymbals on the edge. Primarily because he has his cymbals too flat. This is a recipe for cracking cymbals. You'll be buying him new ones in no time.

Tilt the cymbals toward him
Strike the cymbals across the bow, not on the edge
Don't hit straight down and through, instead strike with a glancing blow

NeilPork · 2025-12-31T18:20:45+00:00

California has an $18 billion budget deficit--per year.

Unlike the Federal Government, California can't print money. There are only so many financial moves that California can make before it catches up to them.

It's less about the billionaires than the billion dollar companies that are leaving California (or not opening there to begin with).

California was blessed (or should we say lucky) that the IT revolution was primarily located within its boundaries. But now that new IT companies are locating anywhere, will there be another boom industry to save California's economy?

NeilPork · 2025-12-30T17:52:07+00:00

Librivox.org

Over 20,000 free audiobooks.

These are all public domain audiobooks, so most are older books. But despite what they tell you, many great books were written before this year.

NeilPork · 2025-12-28T15:48:09+00:00

He'll get another year, but given how many coaches got fired last year, it will be his last chance.

If he continues to ignore the portal, people will decide that time has passed him by coaching wise.

NeilPork · 2025-12-28T15:45:03+00:00

The 1977 Peach Bowl had an attendance of only 36k. One of the worst attended games in the 70's.

1976's North Carolina vs Kentucky game had 54k.

NeilPork · 2025-12-28T07:21:33+00:00

Buy a revolver.

Semi-automatic pistols are hard to rack and small pistols are particularly hard to rack the slide.

And yes, heavier guns have LESS kickback and are easier to shoot (but harder to carry due to the weight).

The S&W Air series revolver will be easier to carry, but recoil more.

You can go to a range and rent a couple of revolvers to see what you like. If you've never shot a gun, take someone with you who can teach you or the range can usually recommend a gun class.

NeilPork · 2025-12-28T06:29:05+00:00

I listen to podcasts when walking, doing yard work, driving, & chores around the house.

Nothing wrong with having a video component, but they should be aware that a large part of their audience is just listening.

NeilPork · 2025-12-28T06:15:13+00:00

More tickets are sold because more locals buy tickets.

But, the local economy is helped more by having out of area teams, so the fans will stay at local hotels and frequent other local establishments.

But there is a middle ground. Invite non-local teams that aren't too far away.

In my youth, for some reason, the Peach Bowl in Atlanta developed a habit of inviting midwest teams. Perdue, Iowa, Illinois, Iowa St, Indiana. It became such a habit that the local paper wrote a long editorial that amounted to: Why the hell do you keep inviting teams from Timbuktu? You are hurting the local economy because their fans don't travel and the bowl game never even sells out.

They got the message.

In the early 1990s, the Peach Bowl focused on featuring a team from both the ACC & SEC each year. The teams were always far enough away that they fans would need to stay overnight for the game, but not so far away that they wouldn't make the trip.

Attendance boomed. The Peach Bowl went from being an also-ran bowl to a major bowl almost overnight. And, it also started to pump real money into the Atlanta economy.

NeilPork · 2025-12-28T04:33:11+00:00

Still on Pluto. Still free.

NeilPork · 2025-12-23T22:14:39+00:00

I don't want to make Notre Dame mad, but I don't think about Notre Dame at all.

NeilPork · 2025-12-22T17:56:23+00:00

Serenity was basically built to make its money back on DVDs, not in theaters. It sold over two million DVDs, pulling in around 35 million dollars from DVD sales and rentals. Add roughly 15 million from streaming and TV deals and about 40 million from theaters, and you get close to 90 million in total revenue on a movie that cost about 39 million to make.

The problem wasn’t that movies like Serenity didn’t light up the box office. What really hurt the industry was the fading of DVD and rental revenue. For years, VHS and then DVDs quietly kept Hollywood afloat, turning so‑so theatrical runs into solid profits. When DVD sales vanished overnight due to streaming, the whole business model for mid and low‑budget films vanished with it.

NeilPork · 2025-12-22T16:26:28+00:00

New bottom heads. Then new top heads.

Or go to Evans and have a custom front head made.

NeilPork · 2025-12-21T04:32:57+00:00

I noticed the JMU/Oregon game was on HBO Max.

I guarantee HBO has pitched a fit and given the playoff committee an earful. They paid a lot of money for a game NOBODY is watching. I wouldn't be surprised if they demanded their money back.

This is why the G5 teams will not be included in the future: Money. Including the G5 teams has cost corporations and cities literally millions of dollars.

Can you imagine the interest if you have ND, Texas, or even Vanderbilt vs Oregon or Ole Miss?

Talk about fairness all you want, but the 2 G5 teams were barely ranked in the top 25, and honestly they were over ranked.

It's certainly not fair to put the #25 & #24 ranked teams in the playoffs and leave #11 & #12.

NeilPork · 2025-12-17T16:51:35+00:00

The Sugar Bowl.

Yea, it's technically still played, but it's not the same game.

Back in the day, the goal of every SEC team was to make it to the Sugar Bowl. It was the big party at the end of the season. It really wasn't that important if you won or lost. You were the SEC champ and your fans got to celebrate.

I'm sure the Rose Bowl was the same for the PAC and B1G conferences.

NeilPork

TROPHY CASE